Improvement in fare-registering devices



J. A. BROWN.

Fare-Registering Devices.

PatentedJan.12, 875L Fly. ,3.

l'nla 7261.

WITNESSES. fvil rovm.

Awith my device attached.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN FARE-REGISTERING DEVl-CES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No, 158,568. dated January 12., 1875; application filed November 27, 1874. I

'[o all-20710121 it may concemw. 7

Be it known that I, JOHN A. Bn'own, of Boston, Suti'olk county, Massachusetts, have invented a certain Fare-Registering Device or Appliance, of which thefollowing is a specifi-, cation 2 The purpose of this invention is to provide an appliance for omnibuses, and other conveyances which dispense with a conductor, whereby a passenger, when paying his fare to the driver, automatically and necessarily operates an indicating mechanism, which registers such fare, and atthesame time actuates a" bell or'signal,which informs the passenger within hearing that a fare has been paid.

My invention constitutes a watch upon the conduct of the "driver, since, as each i'are is registered by an indicator, which is beyond his control, the amount ofreturns rendered by him must tally with the indicator.

The drawings accompanying this specifica tion represent, in Figures-1 and 2, oppositeside elevations of aportion ofan omnibus Fig. 3 is a plan of a portion of theindicator. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the device as applied to an omnibus Fig. 5 is a plan of the ratchet-wheel andpawl by which'oneof the doors actuates the indicator, the same being hereinafter ex-,

plained.

In these draw1ngs,'A represents the upper. front'portiou or bay. of an omnibus oi ordinary production, a portion of the roof or the same being shown at b.

In carrying my invention into practice I provide an oblong box, 13, provided with a cover, 0, which is to be locked at all. times, except when opened by the person authorized to receive thefares at the office. Depending from the under side of the box B, and filling ihe bay or arched opening A, is a vertical partition or wall, D, within which wall I create two or more hand-holes, E E6, 81c, of a size sniiicient to enable a passenger to pass to the driver the fare or the sum of money from which the fare is to be deducted. Each opening, E F Gr, 850., is to be closed by a door, H, which should be transparent in order that the driver may see the passenger or passengens handthrough it, while each door is secured to and mounted upon a vertical rod, 0, the upper end of which "passes through the bottom or the box B and rises into the interior of the latter some distance, a, spring of suitable character being applied to each door, the

stress of which serves toclose the latter.

Each door is provided with a latch, 01, pivoted to its upper out'er corner, these latches being in convenient proximity to the drivers hand,

in order that he may release them and permit the doorto be opened when a passenger de fi sires to pay a fare, or to hand the driver a sum of money from which .totake, such fare. Some one of the doors H may be composed of or covered with a grating, in order that passen gore and the driver may converse with each other, if desirable. I, in the drawings, represents an inverted cup composed of glass; this cup being suspended from the under side of the floor of the bayA, and being open at top,

and in convenient proximity to the driver, in order that he m ay deposit in it the passengeifis change, should such passenger be entitled to any change. The body of the transparent change box or receptable I is disposed within the interior of'the omnibus, in order that a passenger may see when his change is ready vfor him and leisurely-take the same; an

aperture, 6, being created in the lower part of such box, through which the passenger re moves his change. The upper end of each rod 0 has one end of a chain, f, attached to it, the opposite end of such chain being secured to a long horizontal rod, 9, disposed longitudinallywithin the box 13; this rod being forced in one direction and the chains tightened by a spring, h, suitably applied, while the opposite extremity of such rod is formed with a tooth, i, which acts in conjunction with an oscillating bar, j, pivoted to a shelf, is, dis: posed within the box; the opposite or free end of this bar, carryinga hammer, 1, which operates inconjunction with a bell or gong, m, affixed to the shelf 70, asshown in Fig; 3

of the drawings. To each rod 0 I a'fiix a disk, 7

which is in close proximity to the bottom of the box spring-pawl, 0, which engages and advances a ratchetwheel, p, affixed to the lower end of a vertical shaft, q,' which constitutes the first of aseriesoi' shai'tswhich. make part of an in; dicator, L, which is placed within the box BL 13,-and upon this disk-I pivot a} An indicator is employed with each rod 0, and these indicators are such as are now extensively used in water-meters and other instruments. With every opening and closing of one of the doors E, E, or G, the indicator connected'with it counts up one, and at the end of the route or at night the collector is enabled looked thereto. My object in providing two or more holes and doors is, that when several fares are .paid at once by one passenger, all these fares shall be recorded. To this end I employ several doors. I affix in front of each a label or card to indicate the amount to .be paid in each. For instance, one door is to bear a sign that one fare is to be paid through it; another two fares, and another three, &c.

The operation of my invention is as follows: If a passenger is to pay one-t'are, and has the proper change wherewith to pay it, he raps upon the door or pulls the signal-bell now in use upon most o'mnibuses, and by so doing notifies the driv'er that he is ready to pay his fare, and indicates with his hand the particular door through which he desires to pay it. The driver accordingly releases and opens the door, and receives the fare and places it in his cashbox, at the same time closing the door or releasing his hold upon it, and allowing its spring to close it. This act of opening and closing the door, as before stated, actuates the indicator connected with such door one point. It a passenger desires to pay two or more fares, and has the proper amount, he notifies the driver, as before stated, and places his hand upon the door through which he is to pay it. The driver releases and opens the door, the fare is handed the driver and the door closed, and the indicator connected with this counts up two fares or more, according to amount designated upon any given door. If a passenger desires to pay one or more fares he calls the drivers attention to the door which designates the proper amount, and the driver opens this door and receives the sum of money from the passenger. The driver then deducts the amount which the door indicates is to be paid, and deposits the change in the transparent receptacle 1, from which the passenger may remove it at his leisure.

I claim---- A device for registering fares 0t oninibuses and other conveyances, consisting of a series of two or more doors connected with any suitable indicator and an alarm or bell, each door being provided with a sign to indicate the amount to be pa-id through it, and the whole operating substantially as and for purposes stated.

JOHN A. BROWN.

Witnesses:

T. S. DAME, F. CURTIS. 

